Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 14

The Account of the Lalitā Hymn, the Protective Armor

Kavaca), and the Thousand Names (Sahasranāma

Devanagari script

यदक्षरमहासूत्रप्रोतमेतज्जगत्त्रयम् । ब्रह्यांडादिकटाहांतं तां वन्दे सिद्धमातृकाम् ॥ १४ ॥

Transliteration

yadakṣaramahāsūtraprotametajjagattrayam | brahyāṃḍādikaṭāhāṃtaṃ tāṃ vande siddhamātṛkām || 14 ||

Translation

Ich verneige mich vor der Siddha-Mātṛkā, der vollendeten Matrix der Buchstaben: An ihrem großen Faden unvergänglicher Silben ist dieses dreifache Universum aufgereiht, vom kosmischen Ei bis zum Rand des Weltenkessels.

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; relative pronoun

• akṣara-mahā-sūtra-protam: strung on the great thread of imperishable syllables
• akṣara-mahā-sūtra-protam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prota (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √pru/√prū (प्रू) ‘to string’ + क्त) with akṣara + mahā + sūtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; past passive participle (क्त) used adjectivally; tatpuruṣa: ‘strung on the great thread of imperishable syllables’

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; demonstrative pronoun in apposition to jagat-trayam

• jagat-trayam: the threefold universe
• jagat-trayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; dvigu compound

• brahma-aṇḍa-ādi-kaṭāha-antam: ending with the cosmic-egg cauldron (i.e., bounded by the brahmāṇḍa etc.)
• brahma-aṇḍa-ādi-kaṭāha-antam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + kaṭāha (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘ending with the cauldron-like (cosmic) egg etc.’; used as qualifier of jagat-trayam

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular; demonstrative pronoun referring to the goddess

• vande: I worship
• vande: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vand (वन्द्)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• siddha-mātṛkām: Siddhamātṛkā
• siddha-mātṛkām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛkā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular; title/name

Speaker

Narada (in praise of Siddha-Mātṛkā within a Vedāṅga/Śabda-śāstra context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛkā
• Akṣara
• Jagat-traya
• Brahmāṇḍa

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It teaches that the cosmos is upheld by śabda—imperishable akṣaras—so reverence to Mātṛkā (the power of letters/mantra) is reverence to the very structure sustaining the three worlds.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By directing worship toward Siddha-Mātṛkā, it frames bhakti as devotion expressed through sacred sound—japa, mantra, and disciplined speech—seeing the Divine as present in the potency of akṣara.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects the Vedāṅga emphasis on Śikṣā (phonetics) and Vyākaraṇa (grammar): correct letters, pronunciation, and syllabic order are treated as spiritually efficacious and cosmically meaningful.